


when the lights are bright (i'll still see you)

by wishfulwaiting (hmerts19)



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Age Difference, Alternate Universe - Hollywood, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, F/M, M/M, NO character deaths, Slow Burn, minor rey/hux
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-05
Updated: 2020-08-24
Packaged: 2021-03-05 19:48:24
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 7,552
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25720831
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hmerts19/pseuds/wishfulwaiting
Summary: Rey is a twenty-one year old college dropout who has been dating her aspiring actor, high school sweetheart Armitage Hux for five years.  When her boyfriend wants to try his luck in L.A., Rey packs her stuff up in a U-Haul and follows him, leaving her comfortable, but dead end, Texas life behind her.  Rey finds a new job bartending at a hole-in-the-wall restaurant while Hux tries his luck in Hollywood.  After months of no success, things begin to turn sour.  The two plan on leaving L.A. until Hux finally gets his big break.  But, like most young actors, he is blinded by the lights and soon leaves Rey in the dark.
Relationships: Poe Dameron/Finn, Rey/Ben Solo, Rey/Ben Solo | Kylo Ren
Comments: 11
Kudos: 12





	1. august

**Author's Note:**

> hello everyone! this is my very first story that i am posting somewhere for people to actually read! i would like to give a big shoutout to kaitlyn and jo for reading everything before i post it. they are absolute gems!
> 
> a few notes before we get started:  
> 1) rey and hux are dating in the first couple of chapters. basically, i needed rey to date the bad guy. things will change quickly. with that being said, in a few chapters there will be mentions of domestic violence and alcoholism. i will update the tags as i go so be mindful of that! (i will also put a content warning in the notes before the chapter begins!)  
> 2) this takes place in hollywood. i grew up in a cornfield in the middle of illinois so my knowledge of hollywood is VERY limited. i am very open to any corrections but most of my knowledge comes from google searches.  
> 3) the age differences are all canon except for rey and hux. so for reference, rey is 21 making ben 31, finn and rose 25, poe 34, and hux is also going to be 21 (canon age he would not be able to be reys highschool sweetheart)  
> 4) finally, the title comes from a line in the movie rock of ages which is one of my all time favorite movies!!

The sun was warm against Rey’s skin as she sat in Kaydel’s backyard watching the twins run through the sprinkler. They shrieked everytime the water hit them. This was how most of their days ended. The sprinkler was their favorite thing to play with and Rey didn’t mind since most of the time it gave her a chance to sit down and relax. 

Her phone dings at her with a notification from Kaydel. She was on her way home from work. Rey stands up from the patio chair. “Few more minutes guys, mom’s on her way home.” The twins look over at her then look at each other before running back through the sprinkler again.

Rey walks back inside the house to grab the towels for the twins and turn the oven on for dinner. She leans against the kitchen counter and watches the kids run back and forth, giving them a few more minutes to play. She pulls the pizza crust, marinara sauce, and cheese out of the fridge and sets them on the counter. 

She walks back outside with the towels. “Alright, time to come in.” Rey lets them run through one more time before turning the water off. The twins come running over and Rey wraps them both in towels. 

“What’s for dinner, Rey Rey?” Maisy asks.

Rey dries them off quickly before ushering them inside the house. “Homemade pizza and fruit.”

“Rey Rey, what are we going to do tomorrow?” Maeve asks. Rey chuckles and follows the girls upstairs to their room.

“Why don’t we wait until tomorrow to find out.” Rey helps the girls get dressed and the three of them walk back downstairs. The girls plop down on the couch with their iPad’s while Rey returns to the kitchen to start on dinner. 

She lays the pizza crust down on the counter and spreads the marinara around it before covering it with the shredded mozzarella cheese. 

“Do you want just cheese or pepperoni and sausage too?” She calls out to the girls. 

“Cheese!” They yell back simultaneously. Rey shakes her head and smiles. She knew that would be the answer. The twins were typical five year olds who lived off of plain, cheese pizza, chicken strips, and peanut butter and jelly. 

Rey leaves one half of the pizza plain but puts pepperoni and some veggies on the other half. She slides it into the oven then pulls the fruit out of the fridge and starts washing it when she hears the garage door open. 

“Mommy!” The twins shriek and run into Kaydel’s waiting arms. She kisses the tops of their heads while they tell her all about what they did that day. The twins talk over each other and very quickly making it hard for Kaydel to actually understand what they did but she listens intently anyways.

Rey smiles from the kitchen and starts cutting up the fruit. Kaydel sends the girls back to the living room and joins Rey in the kitchen.

“Sounds like you had a fun day?” Kaydel sets her work bag down on the stool at the counter and joins Rey in cutting up the fruit. 

“Yeah, it was good. We went to the library and got some new books then went down by the water and ended the day with the sprinkler, per usual.” Rey smiles over at Kaydel then back at the girls.

Rey had been nannying for Kaydel since she was sixteen years old. When she was twelve, Rey was placed with a new foster family, her last one until she aged out of the system. Kaydel and her husband, Snap, had been their neighbors. Snap had gotten deployed so Rey spent a lot of her time with Kaydel, always worried that she would be lonely like she had been for so many years. 

When Kaydel had the twins, her and Snap decided that it was time for her to go back to work. They immediately asked Rey if she wanted to nanny for them. So, since sixteen years old, Rey was at Kaydel and Snaps Monday through Thursday from 7:30 to 4:30.

Once Rey turned eighteen, she got another job at a restaurant in downtown San Antonio and started waitressing. When she turned twenty, she started bartending and had usual hours Wednesday through Sunday. She made a decent amount of money between the two jobs and had quite a bit of money saved up. 

Originally, she planned to go to school. And she did go for a year to the community college in town but eventually, she ran out of money and couldn’t work enough hours and still do well in school so she dropped out. 

Her plan was to go back, but that plan was getting pushed further and further back on the priority list. The rent on her and her boyfriend’s apartment was a nice chunk of change, there was always something that needed to be fixed on her car, and she had a bunch of medical bills from when she had to get her appendix out. 

Kaydel always offered to give her money to pay everything off but Rey always refused. She didn’t want to rely on anybody for money or to pay her bills. She would figure it out like she always did. 

“Is he still talking about moving to Los Angeles?” Kaydel asks, pulling Rey out of her thoughts. Rey sighs and nods her head. 

Rey had been dating Armitage Hux since she was sixteen years old. When they were high school seniors, they would sit on the roof of his jeep and talk about the plans for their future. Hux was going to move to Los Angeles and become an actor and Rey was going to attend UCLA and become a social worker in the Los Angeles area. 

Hux was starting to bring up Los Angeles again though. He had been taking more acting classes in the area and really thought he had a chance to make it big. He had been bringing up moving for the past month now. 

“Well, there’s something that I need to talk to you about that might help make your decision.” Rey looks over at Kaydel and frowns. 

“What do you mean? Did something happen?” The oven beeps and Rey pulls the pizza out of the oven and sets it on the stove top to cool down.

“Well, we’ve been here for a while now and Snap and I were anticipating new orders to come through anytime now since you don’t really get to stay in one place for this long unless you’re a higher ranking officer, which Snap isn’t.” Kay pauses. Rey fidgets. She knew what was coming. “So, what I’m trying to say is, Snap got new orders. We’re moving to Tucson in September.” 

“Shit,” Rey whispers. Kaydel nods her head then pulls Rey into a hug. Rey hugs Kaydel back tightly. With Kaydel leaving, there really wasn’t anything left for Rey in San Antonio. 

The four of them sit down to eat dinner and the girls fill the silence with chatter and plans for the next day with Rey. Rey and Kaydel listen intently to the girls plan and promise that they will try their best to make it happen. 

After everyone has finished eating, Rey and Kaydel clean up dinner and Rey changes into jeans and a black shirt for her next shift. Kaydel walks Rey out to her car.

“Everything will work out, alright?” Kaydel squeezes Rey’s hands and smiles.

“I know, I think I made up my mind.” She smiles at Kaydel and gives her a hug before hopping in her car and heading downtown. 

//

By ten thirty, Rey’s last table had left and the front doors were officially locked. She finished cleaning up behind the bar. The other servers slowly trickled out and said their goodbyes as they left.

At eleven, Rey was done and she left her register drawer in the office and got her tip-out from her manager. She walked out to her car and drove back across town to her and Hux’s apartment. 

Rey pulled her keys out and unlocked the door to her apartment. Hux is sitting on the living room couch playing video games with his friends. His headset is on so he didn’t hear her come in. She places her hand on his shoulder to get his attention and he glances up at her than back at his game. 

“Hey babe, how was work?” Rey plopped down on the couch next to him and pulled her tip money out of her apron. It had been a pretty good night. 

“It was good. Can I talk to you about something?” Rey watches him glance at her out of the corner of his eye then back towards the TV. 

“I’m kind of in the middle of something. Can it wait until later?” He continues playing his game and Rey frowns before standing up. 

“Yeah, sure. Not too late, please?” Hux nods and puckers his lips at her. Rey leans down and gives him a quick kiss before walking to their bedroom. She grabs her pajamas and walks into the bathroom and turns the shower on. 

Rey hops in and the hot water immediately begins to calm her down and relax her tense muscles. She washes her hair and body then just stands under the water for a while. She continued to try and convince herself that moving would be good. It would give her the opportunity to start over. Kaydel was the only person she had in Texas and she was leaving too. 

Eventually, Rey hops out of the shower and changes into pajama shorts and a t-shirt before walking back into the bedroom. Hux was sitting on the edge of the bed, scrolling through his phone. 

“What did you want to talk about?” He looks up at her standing in the doorway. 

Rey sits down next to him and takes a deep breath. “I think we should go to Los Angeles.” Hux grins at her and kisses her quickly. 

“I knew you would come around. We can start planning soon.” Rey smiles and takes a deep breath before crawling under the covers. Hux crawls in next to her and falls asleep quickly. She lays awake and stares at the ceiling. 

Her and Hux had been dating for five years and she could slowly feel them growing apart and moving away from each other. He was her only other consistent thing for the past five years. Up until she was sixteen, there hadn’t been much consistency and she wasn’t ready to lose that yet. Maybe this move would save it. 

~~~

“Kylo, Kylo!” “Kylo, look this way for the camera!” “Kylo, how excited are you for this premier to finally be here?” 

Ben kept the serious look plastered on his face. He took after his dad in that way. He turned towards the cameras but kept moving across the red carpet as he was directed to. At most events he let his childhood best friend-turned publicist, Poe Dameron, call all of the shots. This event was no different. 

Poe guided him through the line of photographers and videographers. Next was the media outlets. Poe always had a few picked out for him that he had to talk to. Ben did his due diligence, answered the same questions for each of them and then continued down the row. They all asked how thrilled he was for the premier and what his upcoming movie plans were. There were a few random ones thrown in from Buzzfeed or E!News that would ask things like if he could play a character in his movie which would it be or they would sprinkle in questions about his personal life. 

Ben didn’t like his personal life being broadcast for the world to see so he was able to skirt those questions fairly easily, much to Poe’s dismay. 

Poe continued ushering him down the red carpet until they had finished with all the reporters and cameras and they were safely inside the theater.

“Well, not bad, buddy. I’d say that was pretty painless.” Poe chuckled and checked the time on his watch. 

Ben shoved his hands into his pocket and looked around at the groups of people walking in behind them and ahead of them. “I’d still rather skip it all together, if it were up to me.”

Poe rolls his eyes and opens the door for Ben, following behind him. “Amilyn would never let that happen and your mom wouldn’t like the idea of that either. Put them together on something and you know that they will get their way every single time. That’s why Han still has to do these things with Leia.” 

Ben chuckles and takes his seat. Poe sits next to him but Ben knew he wouldn’t stay there for long. He worked under Amilyn Holdo and was hired specifically for Ben. Amilyn had worked with both of his parents as well as his uncle Luke for years. It only made sense for Ben to be under Amilyn as well. When Poe decided that PR was the field he wanted to go into, Amilyn let him intern and eventually just turned it into a full-time job. Poe was only in charge of Ben for the first few years but now had a few other celebrities to look after as well. 

“Alright buddy, I’ll be back in probably about thirty or so minutes to come get you so you can head up on stage. If I remember correctly, producer and director speak first and then it’ll be some of the cast. Dak and Wedge should be here soon. And I believe they chose Bazine Netal and Bodhi Rook to speak for the cast.” Poe pauses as his cell phone starts ringing. “That’s Am, I’ll be back.” 

As Poe walks away, Ben chuckles and looks at his watch. This job was meant for Poe’s hyperactive personality. The man could never sit still in the first place so having a job that required you to constantly be moving was perfect.

He glanced around the table at the name placards of the people who would be joining him. His parents always sat with him, Ben made sure that the three of them always sat together. Dak Ralter, his co-producer, would sit at the table with his wife and Wedge Antilles, his director, would also sit with his wife at the same table. 

A few tables over sat his two lead actors and their partners or family members. The rest of the cast and crew was scattered throughout the theater. All of the publicists and assistants ran around the area as well, making sure nothing went wrong.

“I don’t know why you make me come to these things. They get worse and worse every year.” Ben turns when he hears the sound of his father’s voice.

“No dear, you are just getting older and crabbier.” Leia loved red carpets and would not allow Han to talk poorly about them. His parents take their seats next to him at the table. Amilyn says a few things to his mother, pats Ben’s shoulder, then disappears.

Leia turns to him and flashes him a smile. “Hello, dear. How was your walk?” Leia Organa was Hollywood royalty. She loved everything that came with being a movie star. Her husband was the opposite. Han Solo was only here because his wife dragged him by his ear.

“It was alright, the same old same old.” Ben shrugs and checks his watch again. “I think Poe and I are gonna head to Maz’s like usual if you want to come with us.” 

Ben knew Han would come but Leia always took a bit of convincing. It had been tradition that after any movie premier, awards show, red carpet, anything, that they all went to Maz’s. Maz Kanata had been a long time family friend and ran a hole in the wall restaurant that she kept open late specifically on days like this. 

Ben saw Poe weaving back through the crowd towards him. He motioned for him to follow him backstage. Ben stands up. “Well, that’s my cue. I’ll be back.”

“Good luck, dear, you’ll do wonderful,” from his mom and a “Break a leg, kid,” from his dad and Ben was off, following Poe behind stage. When he got back there, Dak and Wedge were waiting. Ben greeted them and they all stood and waited.

Shortly after, Bazine and Bodhi were ushered backstage. Ben shook Bodhi’s hand and gave Bazine a hug. The two had dated when Ben first got into Hollywood but the two ultimately decided they would just be better off as friends. Bazine was engaged now and Ben had never seen her happier. 

Amilyn and Poe finish going over a few last minute things before Poe disappears. Amilyn walked over to the group and smiled at them. “Alright, are we ready for this?”

The group collectively nods before Amilyn continues. “The doors will shut in about two minutes and the final announcement will be made. After that, there will be about three more minutes for everyone to take their seats. The lights in the theater will dim and the stage lights will come up slightly. That’s your cue,” she points at Ben, Dak, and Wedge, “to enter the stage. There will be cue cards but hopefully, the three of you have memorized what you’re going to be saying.” 

Ben glances over at Wedge and Dak and the three of them smirk. They never memorized what Amilyn told them to memorize and she knew that they didn’t, too. “After the three of you have finished, you’ll wait about twenty seconds then begin to exit to the left. Once they start walking, Bazine and Bodhi, that’s your cue to enter. When you all intersect, shake hands, hug, do whatever. Bazine and Bodhi will make their speech, once again, wait about twenty seconds for the applause, then exit to the left as well. Once you’re all done speaking, we’ll escort you back to your seats while the trailer is playing and then once you're all seated, the movie will start. Any questions?” 

The group looks between themselves. Amilyn smiles and her shoulders relax. Just as she said, the final announcement is spoken and Ben, Dak, and Wedge are ushered closer to the stage. This would be their second movie all together and Ben and Dak were working on his next movie together as well. The three of them knew each other on a friendly level now rather than just strictly professional. 

The lights start to dim in the theater and the stage lights come up. Dak leads the way, followed by Ben, and then Wedge following behind. The three of them stand in a semi-circle around the microphone. They wait for the audience clapping to subside then the cue cards show up for them to read off of.

Ben begins. “First and foremost, thank you for attending the premier of Attack on Takodana. We are so grateful that you all chose to support us and our fellow cast and crew tonight.” 

Dak takes over speaking. “One year ago, the journey to creating this film began. With many long days and late nights, we are proud to release this film out into the world for your enjoyment for many years to come.”

Finally, it was Wedge’s turn to tie things up. “So tonight, we ask you to sit back and enjoy Attack on Takodana.” The three waited for the applause then started to exit the stage. When they intersect with Bazine and Bodhi, they shake hands and hug just as Amilyn instructed then continued off stage. 

Their speeches were always much shorter than others would have been but that’s the way the three of them preferred. Bazine and Bodhi didn’t mind speaking for longer so they let them do most of the talking for all of the press and premiers that was required of them. 

Ben checked the time on his watch. It was 7:55. The film was scheduled to premier at 8:00 and for once, they were actually running on schedule. 

As soon as Bazine and Bodhi were off-stage, a few of the event staff escorted the five of them back to their tables. Leia smiled and squeezed Ben's hand three times. Three squeezes or three taps always meant ‘I love you.’ When Ben was younger, he had a difficult time expressing his emotions and as young parents, Han and Leia didn’t know how to handle it. Eventually, Leia started squeezing his hand and saying ‘I love you.’ Ben started to return the gesture and then it just stuck even though the three of them were much better at communicating now.

Ben leans back in his chair and takes a deep breath as the trailer comes to an end. Their film begins to play on the screen. 

//

By eleven, Ben, Poe, his parents, Amilyn, and Dak and his wife are all sitting around a table towards the back of Maz’s. Luke was running a little behind but would be there shortly. When all of them got together, they were loud and always laughing. Ben felt slightly bad for their server who was probably struggling to keep all of their orders and checks straight but, not too bad considering him and Poe had been flirting the entire time. 

Ben chuckled and jumped back into the conversation with his parents. His parents were looking at selling their Hollywood Hills mansion and moving a few blocks down so they could “downsize.” Downsize to Leia meant going from eight bedrooms, three kitchens, and two pools, down to five bedrooms, two kitchens, and one pool. Her excuse was always, “We have a lot of friends who come to stay with us. We always need to have room.” 

Luke joins them at the table and jumps into conversation like he had been there the entire time. Some of Ben’s favorite nights were nights like these. When they could all get together and enjoy their time. 

Their food comes out and while Maz’s definitely wasn’t a five star establishment, the food was good and she took good care of them. 

Every single time Ben came, he always got a cheeseburger with pepper-jack and cheddar cheese topped with pickles, lettuce, tomatoes, and onions. Poe teased him relentlessly for never switching it up but it didn’t bother Ben as much. Especially when Poe’s idea of “switching it up” was combining a bunch of different things that weren’t supposed to go together. 

By the time midnight rolled around, they were all done eating. Luke, Leia, Han and Amilyn had all paid their checks and were saying their good-byes. Dak and his wife had already left, citing the need to relieve their babysitter. 

Poe and Ben headed up to the bar rail so Poe could continue to chat with their waiter, who Ben learned was named Finn. The three of them continued their conversation until quarter to one when Maz finally told them that they needed to go home so she could leave. Ben knew she was joking and would stay open as late as they were there but also knew that there was part of her that definitely wanted to leave. 

Poe and Ben said their goodbyes to Maz and Ben nodded to Finn before heading out to the car. Poe stayed behind for a second and got Finn’s phone number before joining Ben in the car. 

When Poe hops in the passenger seat, Ben chuckles and pulls out of their parking spot. “He looked so young. Don’t corrupt him.”

Poe rolls his eyes. “He’s twenty-five. It’s not going to be my fault if he’s corrupted. Besides, that’s only nine years, that’s nothing.”

Ben laughs and continues driving. Poe lived next door to Ben so the two of them usually drove together when they could.

After the twenty-five minute drive, Ben pulls into Poe’s driveway and shifts into park. Poe hops out but pokes his head back in. “Don’t forget, we have that meeting tomorrow about travel plans for the next week. Ten o’clock at the office. Don’t be late.”

Ben nods his head. “Yeah, yeah, I remember. I would never be late to one of your meetings.”

Poe rolls his eyes and shuts the door. He heads up to the house and waves at Ben before heading inside. Ben drives down the street and pulls into his own garage. He shuts the garage door and is met by his black lab as soon as he walks in the door.

Ben lets the dog out quickly before heading upstairs to change. He tugs on some sweats and a t-shirt then finishes getting ready for bed. It was way past the time he normally went to bed and as soon as his head hit the pillow, he was out. 


	2. september (pt1)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hello friends, sorry for the delay! 
> 
> before you begin the chapter i just wanted to say once again that most of my knowledge from hollywood comes from google searches. i work in a restaurant so most of the writing about restaurants is going to come from what happens at my job. i'll define any "restaurant-y" terms in the notes if needed (:
> 
> enjoy <3

chapter two 

september 

They were on hour ten of their eleven hour, two day drive. It was Hux’s turn to drive and Rey was curled up in the passenger seat, resting her head up against the window. She was struggling to keep her eyes open while she watched the scenery pass by. Hux’s mumble rap was blaring through the speakers. She had tried to switch the music earlier but he just switched it back when she dozed off. 

Once they got to Los Angeles, they were staying in a hotel for the first few nights. They had apartment tours set up with places that had openings that they could get into right away. Rey would find another restaurant job and Hux would hopefully find some luck with his auditions. 

The loud music and the bumpy road were combining to cause a throbbing pain behind Rey’s left eye. She closed her eyes and tucked her legs up to her chest and tried to fall back asleep. 

“Babe, c’mon, were almost there. You have to stay awake,” Hux whined from the driver’s seat. Rey opened one eye and looked over at him. 

“You slept for most of the time I was driving. I have a headache. Wake me up when we’re closer.” She closes her eyes again and tries to get comfortable.

It was about forty-five minutes later when Hux reached over and nudged her awake. “Hey, we’re getting close.”

Rey sat up a little straighter and rubbed her eyes. She reached over and turned the music down a little bit before looking over at him. “How much longer?” 

Hux checks the GPS on his phone. “About fifteen-twenty minutes.” Rey’s phone dings from her hoodie pocket. She pulls it out and sees the notification from Kaydel flash across the screen. 

**Hey babe, how’s the drive? How much longer do you have left?**

**We’re almost there, like 15 mins left I think**

**It’s alright, I just want to lay down though )):**

**I’m sorry ): But at least you’re almost there.**

**The girls keep asking to see your location because they miss you**

**Awww!! Tell them I miss them too! I’ll try and facetime tomorrow (:**

**Sounds good! I’m gonna head to bed but text me when you get there.**

**Love you!**

**Love you too!!**

Rey puts her phone back in her sweatshirt pocket. The Los Angeles skyline was starting to appear in the windshield and Rey sighed. Hux reached over and put his hand on her knee and rubbed small circles with his thumb.

The rest of their drive was silent. Hux parked the jeep and the trailer at the back of the hotel parking lot. They grab their overnight bags from the back seat of the jeep. Rey links her arm through Hux’s and they step up to the front desk to get their room key. 

The two head up to their hotel room and Rey drops her duffel bag on the floor before flopping on to the bed. “Ugh, I could sleep for three days.” Hux chuckles and sits down on the edge of the bed. 

“Wanna go get some dinner?” Rey peaks her head up from the pillow and looks at Hux.

“I don’t wanna drive the trailer. Is there anywhere close enough to walk?” Rey sits up and rubs her eyes again. She pulls her hair back into a bun on the top of her head before laying back again.

“I’ll look. If not we can just order Postmates or something.” Hux pulls his phone out and starts to look restaurants up on his phone. 

A few minutes later Hux looks up from his phone. “There’s a place called Maz’s. It’s like a ten minute walk. Wanna go?”

“Yeah, let me change.” Rey grabs a pair of leggings and a slightly, less ratty sweatshirt before stepping into the bathroom to change. She brushed her hair out and braided it into two messy french braids before walking back into the bedroom.

“Ready?” She asks Hux, slipping on her shoes. He nods and stands up, putting his shoes on as well. The two walk out of the hotel room and start on the ten minute walk to the restaurant Hux found. 

Ten minutes later, they walk in the front door and find a seat at the bar top. Their server, a younger girl with her hair in two buns on top of her head walks over.

“Hey guys, can I get you something to drink right away?” the girl asks. 

Rey orders water and Hux orders a beer. The girl, who’s name tag read Rose, walked away to grab their drinks and the two of them looked at the menu. 

“Why don’t you work here, babe?” Hux looks over at her and then around the restaurant. It wasn’t super busy but it was also almost ten on a Tuesday night. 

Rey shrugs. “Maybe.” Rose came back with their drinks and gave them a few more minutes to decide what they wanted to eat. 

Eventually, Rey ordered chicken strips and fries and Hux ordered a cheeseburger and onion rings. They watched the TV’s above the bar that were playing the highlights of Sunday night’s football game. 

When Rose came back to check on them Rey asked her if they were hiring.

“Do you know how to bartend?” Rose asked her. Rey nodded and Rose’s smile got even bigger.

“I’ll be right back.” Rose disappeared but came back quickly with a piece of paper. “If you fill this out in like ten minutes, I’ll go run it back to Maz. We don’t have a lot of bartenders, that’s why I’m back here so if you can get this filled out, you’ll probably have a job by tomorrow.”

Rey smiled at Rose then at Hux and began working on the application. The first time she had ever filled out an application, she was sitting at Kaydel’s kitchen table just after her eighteenth birthday. The same with the tax forms that she had to fill out. Kaydel had walked her through every step and explained what everything meant.

When Rey was finished with the paper, she slid it across the counter to Rose who disappeared with it. She smiled at Hux. “This is a good sign. If I can get a job on the first night, then you can get a job soon too.” She leans over and kisses him quickly. 

Hux smiles and squeezes her knee. He was on his third beer and she could taste it when she kissed him. Rey didn’t like how much he drank when they went out. Back in San Antonio, he was known for spending way too much money on way too much alcohol. He would come back drunk and pissed off for some unknown reason. 

Rose comes back to the bar. “Can you come in tomorrow at ten? Maz wants to interview you but honestly, you’ll probably start your training later that day by the looks of your application.”

Rey looks at Hux who nods. “Yeah, that’ll work. Ten tomorrow, you got it.” Rose smiles. She goes back to doing her job while Rey and Hux finish up their dinner. Rey hands Rose her credit card then fills out the receipt, making sure to leave a nice tip before they walk back to their hotel room.

“I’m going to shower.” Rey grabs her pajamas and heads into the bathroom, locking the door behind her. She sets her clothes down on the counter and turns the shower on. She steps under the hot water and feels her shoulder begin to relax again. Anxiety about the move was getting to her again. Was this the right choice? Should they have come to L.A.? How many people actually get their big break? She takes a deep breath. Finding a job on the first night was a good sign. Hux would do just fine. She needed to relax. Everything would work out just fine.

Rey stepped out of the shower and dried off before slipping into her pajamas. When she walked back out to the bedroom, Hux was already in bed watching tv. Rey brushed her teeth and crawled in next to him. She slid under his arm and rested her head on his chest.

“Babe?” she asked, looking up at him. He looked down at her and waited for her to continue. “Do you think we made the right choice?”

Hux sighs. “Yes, I think we made the right choice. You already found a job. Things are already starting to work out for us. C’mon babe, we had nothing left in Texas. Kaydel and Snap moved and you didn’t really like it there anyways. This is a fresh new start. Honestly, Rey, you just worry too much.”

Rey frowns and bites her bottom lip. “Yeah, I guess you’re right.” Hux kisses the top of her head. She stays in his arms for a little bit before rolling away on her side to fall asleep. They had always done that. They would cuddle for a little bit before bed but as soon as they were tired enough to fall asleep, they retreated to their sides of the bed. Hux was like a furnace when he slept and Rey didn’t like waking up covered in sweat. 

It took Rey a while to drift off to sleep, thoughts of everything that could go wrong filling her brain. She hears Hux begin to snore softly and she flips on to her back to stare at the ceiling. Everything was going to be fine. 

~~

Ben woke up to his phone’s alarm going off at eight in the morning. He rolled over and snoozed it before rolling on to his back and staring at the ceiling. The sunshine was streaming in through the windows of his bedroom and he could hear his dog still snoring on the floor. He started to run through the list of things he had to do that day. 

His first meeting of the day was a video call at nine with Amilyn and Poe. They had to plan out his schedule for the next few months with different conventions, talk shows, and shooting schedules. After that, he had to head into the studio to meet with Dak and the other heads of the crew to finalize everything for the project- from filming locations to lead roles to pay checks. Once that was all hashed out, Ben was tasked with calling respective agencies to pitch their plan. 

Hopefully, he would be done by 1:30 like planned but things like this never ran on time. The alarm started ringing again, this time waking up his dog. Ben got out of bed and made his way downstairs, his black lab following closely behind him. 

As he cuts through the kitchen, he turns on the coffee maker before letting Vader out into the back yard. His phone starts ringing on the counter and his mother’s caller ID pops up on the screen. 

“Hi mom,” he says, answering and then putting the call on speaker while he made breakfast. 

“Hello dear, what do you have planned today?” He can hear her rustling around in the background as well. 

“I have meetings from nine to one thirty-ish. Why? What’s up?” Ben leans against the counter while waiting for his coffee to brew.

“We just haven’t seen you in awhile. Do you want to swing by for dinner? You can bring Poe if you want. I want to hear about his new boyfriend.” 

Ben chuckles. “Yeah, that sounds good. I’ll text him and let you know.”

“Wonderful. I’ll have Artoo start planning something. I’ll talk to you later, darling. Love you.” 

“Love you, mom.” The call ends and Ben sets his phone back down on the counter. He grabs his coffee and heads back upstairs. Ben sets his coffee on his dresser before walking into the closet to pull out a pair of dark jeans, a button up shirt, and a sports jacket.

He changes quickly and continues getting ready for the day before returning downstairs to let Vader back inside. Ben placed his empty coffee mug into the sink then headed into the office in his house. He sits down at the desk and leans back in his chair, letting out a deep sigh.

Vader walks under the desk and lays down at Ben’s feet. Ben pats his dogs head before logging into the computer. He pulls out his notepad and shuffles around in the desk drawer for a pen. At exactly nine o’clock, the call from Amilyn comes in. Ben logs in to the call and is met with Amilyn and Poe sitting on the other side of the screen in their respective offices. 

“Good morning, everyone!” Amilyn smiles widely at the screen. “How are you two doing this morning?”

Ben rocks back in his chair. “I’m alright. Yourself?” Poe gives a thumbs up.

“I’m well.” Amilyn shuffles some papers around on her desk. “Are we ready to hash out a schedule?” Ben and Poe nod and Amilyn begins sharing her screen with them, showing Ben’s calendar. Amilyn had already started filling it in. 

“Alright darling, this month we have the Emmys. It’s been in the talks that you were going to start showing interest in producing television shows so we were able to get you to the Emmys. That is going to be on September 22nd so on September 15th, you have to go in to get your tux fitted, then on the 20th you’ll have your final fitting.” 

As Amilyn spoke, she moved her cursor over the dates she was talking about. Ben scribbled them down on a piece of paper. He knew he had access to the calendar they were viewing now, but it was much easier to write them all down and hang them up in his office.

“Ben, do you still want to keep Monday’s your “day off?” For the most part, Ben could choose his schedule and mix in the days he was on set or if he was in the office. Monday’s were usually his family days. He would go over to his parents if they weren’t busy or he would hang out with Poe.

“Yeah, that’s fine. I think the filming schedule is going to be finalized soon so I’ll keep you updated with that.” Ben dug through papers on his desk for the updated filming schedule for Galaxy Wars. 

“You could just update the calendar instead of calling,” Amilyn teased. Ben chuckled. 

“Why would I pass up an opportunity to see your beautiful face Am?” He could see Amilyn roll her eyes in the small window in the corner of his screen. 

“Okay, so we have the tentative film schedules in place. We have the fittings, we have the award show for the month. Poe, what do you have on the table for interviews?”

Poe clears his throat. “It’s looking pretty chill for this month. Since most of your promo for Attack on Takodana is done, we don’t have anything scheduled. Per your mother’s request, we have you on an episode of Celebrity Family Feud. That filming will take place on September 30th, the episode will air sometime in October. I think it is going to be you, your parents, your uncle, and Amilyn.”

Ben shakes his head but smiles anyways. He knew how much his mom wanted to go on Family Feud. He also knew how much his dad didn’t want to but, per usual, Hollywood royalty won every argument in the Solo-Organa house. Amilyn was basically family so it made sense that she would join them but his mom would make sure to sneak in some comment about not having a girlfriend.

“Other than that,” Poe continues, “this month is very relaxed. You don’t have another convention appearance until October and that is still covering Takodana. I’ll let you know if anyone calls begging for an interview with the elusive, Kylo Ren.”

Amilyn stops sharing the screen once all of the dates are put into the calendar. They continue to talk about business for another twenty minutes but Amilyn always wants to know what’s happening in their lives so the last twenty minutes of the call is mostly Poe filling Amilyn in on his new boyfriend. 

The call ends at 10:30 and Ben stands up from his chair, Vader standing up as well. Ben walks out of the office and into the kitchen. His phone buzzes from the counter with a message from Dak. 

**Any chance we can push the meeting back to 3? Kiddo came home from**

**school sick and Lacey can’t get off of work until 2:30.”**

**No worries. See you at 3. Good luck.**

Ben opened a new message to Poe after sending his reply to Dak. 

**Meeting got pushed back until 3. Wanna swing by Maz’s for lunch?**

**Yeah sounds good. Wanna just come pick me up then?**

**Yeah, I’ll get you around 11:30.**

Ben set his phone on the counter and walked out into the backyard with Vader. He grabbed the tennis ball and threw it to the other side of the backyard for Vader to chase after. Ben sits down in one of the patio chairs and watches his dog run through the backyard. 

He stays in the backyard for thirty minutes before heading back inside to grab his car keys. He makes sure that Vader has food and water then heads out to his car and starts the drive to Rebellion PR.

When he pulls up to the building, he sends Poe a text. A few minutes later, Poe climbs into the passenger seat and Ben starts driving towards Maz’s. 

Ben pulls into the parking lot and the two men get out of the car and head inside. Poe requests to sit in Finn’s section which takes them to a table in the bar. They sit down in the booth and glance at the menus.

Finn was behind the bar with a girl Ben had never seen at Maz’s before. Her brown hair was tied up in three buns and she was laughing with Finn. When Finn came over to the table, the girl stayed back behind the bar and finished the dishes she was doing. 

“Hey babe,” Poe says and smiles up at Finn. 

“Hey, love. Hi Ben, what do you guys want to drink?” Finn asks and pulls out his notepad. 

“Give me a 16 of Sam Addams,” Poe answers. Ben glances over at the beers on tap, his eyes staying on the girl for a second longer.

“I’ll have a brandy old fashioned sweet.” Finn nods and then heads back behind the bar to make their drinks. 

Ben looks down at the menu but looks back up when he can feel Poe staring at him. Poe wiggles his eyebrows at him. 

“Oh, what now?” Ben rolls his eyes and sets his menu down.

Poe nods his head towards the girl making the drinks behind the bar. “Gonna ask Finn what her name is or just stare at her from here?”

“Shut up.” Ben rolls his eyes but glances at the girl anyways. 

Finn returns with their drinks and sets them down on the table. “Know what you’re eating?” They nod and give their orders to Finn and before he walks away, he turns to Ben.

“Her name is Rey.” Finn winks then walks back to the computer behind the bar. Poe claps and laughs while Finn walks away. Ben rolls his eyes and shakes his head. 

Poe fills Ben in on all of the drama that had been happening around the office. Ben doesn’t really care but he listens to Poe anyways, nodding his head or throwing in a “damn, really?” whenever it was fit. 

Rey drops their food off and smiles at each of them before returning to the bar with Finn. When she asks if they needed anything else, Ben catches the British accent coating her words. Poe flashes Ben a cheesy grin and wiggles his eyebrows again.

“Oh cool it, you’re making things weird.” Ben takes a sip of his drink and begins to eat. The two eat their meal and pay their check. Before leaving, Ben slips back into Maz’s office to see her before returning to work. 

Ben and Poe drove back to Rebellion PR and walked up to Poe’s office until Ben’s next meeting. 

  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i am in search of a beta so if anyone is interested, you can find me on [tumblr](https://www.tumblr.com/blog/hmerts19) or [twitter](https://twitter.com/HannaMertens19)
> 
> also, old fashioneds are very popular in wisconsin but i don't know if they are as popular anywhere else, so if you ever wanna try one, [here you go!](https://www.liquor.com/recipes/wisconsin-old-fashioned/)

**Author's Note:**

> references:
> 
> the age chart i found  
>  dak ralter (fun fact: when i was in highschool my teacher pulled us out of school to see tfa and then we got to skype john morton (who plays dak) and ask him our critical thinking questions)  
> wedge antilles  
> bazine netal  
> bodhi rook  
> what happens at a film premiere
> 
> you can find me on [tumblr](https://hmerts19.tumblr.com/) and [twitter](https://twitter.com/HannaMertens19) here!


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